Tradition
by Chiharu-Chan
Summary: The gentle splashing of the waves, the misty feeling of silence and lighthouses. These, after all, were only tradition. Asuka x Ryou. Oneshot


"_You're here again." She greeted silently, a small smile surfacing on her face._

"_It's calm here."_

"_To think about what you hear?" She was confused then. Misguided and desperate for any news on her brother._

_He paused. "To hear myself think." _

"_Pardon?"_

_He chuckled. "You'll understand later."_

**Tradition**

**By: Chiharu **

**Disclaimer**: Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi, 4KIDS, and all those people.

Silent understandings, unspoken agreements, and internal amusement were the basis of their relationship. The gentle splashing of the waves, the misty feeling of silence and lighthouses.

She never understood his initial interest in her. She was only the sister of his friend. A missing friend, perhaps, but he was only obligated to comfort her with words of condolence. He wasn't supposed to _mean_ it, because nobody ever means it.

She thought, it might've been because Kaiser was the only one able to understand the extremity of the situation at the time. Or something like that.

Marufuji Ryou wasn't a man of many words. His interest in dueling far surpassed any incentive interest in girls. She knew he would rather discuss dueling strategies over coffee than to view a movie together. She knew, because she didn't want to test the limits of their friendship.

She sometimes wondered if they were really friends to began with. Maybe he was just someone she looked to for a keepsake of her memories of her brother. To make sure he was _real_.

Then Fubuki returned. Her brother, her dearest family and the boy he absolutely adored. She wondered if his offerings of an unrealistic friendship ended there.

She didn't get to find out either, because he soon graduated.

Neither of them continued dueling, of course. He focused on systematic graphing of holograms for the duel system while she worked on monster designing. She didn't see him again –or at least manage a decent conversation with him- until five years later.

Juudai returned from his progress in dueling overseas. She attended his welcome-back party for an old-student on duel Academia Island. She didn't bother to seek him out from the banquet ball, either.

She went to the dock by the lighthouse.

_He turned around. There were hints of peripheral interest in his expressions, but she couldn't make anything out. "Hi."_

_She smiled, taking a familiar stand next to him. "How are you?"_

"_Good, I suppose." He paused. "You?"_

"_I'd be better if you were in my life." She didn't actually mean to say that, of course. _

_He blinked, slightly taken back. "Alright, if that makes you happy."_

"_It does."_

She woke up with light rushing through the curtains. Sitting up slightly, she rubbed her eyes, peering over at the source of light. "Ryou-kun, can you shut the window? It's too cold in here."

He turned around.

She paused. "Oh, Nii-san."

"Asuka." Fubuki eyed her slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was there to tell?" Tenjoin Asuka hugged her pillow, pushing her messy bangs out of her eyes as she peered up at her brother.

"Well." Fubuki remained blank. She couldn't tell if he was disappointed or simply surprised. "Where is he?"

She frowned.

"This room." He started. "Your bed is more messed up than usual, your cloths are on the floor, and the front door was unlocked." He paused. "And you smell like sex."

"He always leaves." Asuka muttered, digging her face into her pillow. She wasn't crying, no, just a little shaken up at the course of events. It wasn't new, of course. "I'm used to it."

Fubuki headed for the door. "I'm going to kick his ass."

She didn't try to stop him. She only watched as he left her room and waited for the soft sound emitting from him closing the door. She wondered what Ryou had to say with her brother's interjects about their affair.

He was, after all, engaged to another woman.

She closed her eyes, turning around on her bed as she squeezed on her pillow, going back to sleep.

It wasn't that she was a shameless whore. No, Tenjoin Asuka was a successful young woman. She had a nice job and a normally positive attitude towards life. It never occurred to her that being with him was anything considered as _wrong_.

He was, after all, hers. She tried her best not to think about the subject, for he never mentioned her his fiancé with her. She didn't learn about it until she had sat down with Juudai for coffee.

Trying not to think was only an escape from her.

"Asuka."

She blinked, eyelashes fluttering softly as her vision focused on him. "Ryou-"

He kissed her cheek, hair brushing past her neck.

She sat up gingerly. "If you're here about Nii-san, then I-"

"I would break up with her." He spoke up. "If I knew you wanted that."

"I like the silence because I get to hear myself think." She repeated slowly. "But I don't want to think about. If you choose me over her, then what?"

He stopped. "We broke up, you know. A few weeks ago."

"I know." She reminded him sourly. "But there was nothing for me to say because I wasn't supposed to know."

"Come with me." He pulled her out of her.

The gentle splashing of the waves, the misty feeling of silence and lighthouses.

She should've known he'd propose to her. It was only tradition.


End file.
